Glorious Fall

I have to remember to start heading out of the forest a lot earlier these days! 

The weather has been mild until the sun starts to set around 5pm...

Lily, keeping my lap warm.....much appreciated now that the 

temperature has dropped down to around 0c.

...while Luna prefers to wrap herself around my neck, keeping one paw

on my shoulder...

 

...is it any wonder my crochet projects have a cat hair or two in them?

Yes Luna, I know you're there! Are my ears clean?

Luna, being exasperating!

You know you're not supposed to be on top of the cupboards!

I had to get the stepladder to reach her.

Lily keeping me warm...

Photos from my last visit to the forest...

You'd think it was summer!

It was around 12 or 13c, warm enough for short sleeves

while hiking.

The sun sets quickly though as we head towards the shortest day of the year.

The colours have faded but the beauty remains...

Time to get to the truck!

I found a plant still blooming in the forest at the end of November. It took me 

awhile to identify but finally learned that it is dead nettle.

It's called "dead" nettle because it doesn't cause a rash 

like it's UK cousin - stinging nettle. 

The first 3 photos are of the dead variety, which is a very good thing

as I was handling it with my bare hands.

The next 3 are photos I took last year when Annie and I hiked Hadrian's Wall. 

Three UK trips - 3 encounters with stinging nettle. 

Will I ever learn?

Don't touch!!!

My encounter the first year trip I took walking through the Cotswolds

was the worst experience as I fell in a clump of stinging nettle

while backing up to take a photo! 

The stinging lasted several days.

  They are so pretty!! You just want to reach out and caress them!

Or at least this bumbling naturalist does.

How is the weather where you are? Any snow yet?

Friday Sept. 25 Gilsland to Walton ONLY 7 miles!!

 Another short hike today - woot woot! And look at that blue sky! The weather gods did turn on the tap for a brief time but otherwise it was a lovely day. This picture shows the front of our B&B.

 After a breakfast of oatmeal with whiskey and cream, oh my, we headed back into the village of Gilsland to pick up the trail which will take us to an even smaller village called Walton.

 
Annie made a friend!

 

Today's journey takes us from Gilsland to to Banks to Walton with detours to visit Birdoswald Roman Fort and Lanercost Priory.  But first we explored a milecastle just on the outskirts of Gilsland. No, Miss Kitty didn't come with us but she sure was friendly!

I would have had so much fun living here as a kid - I used to rake the leaves from our huge maple tree into a floor plan of a large house and then run from room to room pretending someone was chasing me! That's what these walls remind me of...

And off we go!

Stinging nettle is EVERYWHERE!!

We saw a few fixer uppers along the way...

 ...next up is a turret outside of Gilsland...

Look how tall we are!! I wish... (except it looks like I have a pin head!)

I remember descending this hill - it felt safer than the previous hills due to the fencing and flat, even stone steps.

 The River Irthing used to flow here and there are ruins of a Roman bridge; the river's course has moved north of this site.

Now there's a newer bridge over the Irthing...

 Next stop - Birdoswald Fort built from 125AD to 138AD.

 ...the "farmhouse" was built starting in the 17th c with additions and changes made until the 20th c. It is now used as a hostel.

Dancing tree roots!

 We're supposed to be able to see Scotland today but it's difficult to see where one country ends and the other begins. (oh, and this is the wrong direction anyways....!)

 ...a brief walk in the forest...a very magical looking forest!! Full of ferns, bright green moss and interesting tree trunks...

 

I love these paths the most!

...and when we emerged from the forest we were greeted by an honour box full of cold drinks and chocolate bars. Thank you Matthew!

 I had a REALLY COLD coke - I don't usually drink pop but on this occasion it was just what I needed! We had a short rest, yelled THANK YOU a few times and then continued our journey.

I could stay here forever! So beautiful!

We had to purchase a packed lunch from our B&B as there was nowhere to purchase lunch along the way. It was a bit milder today and we found the perfect spot to eat...

...and the view from our picnic spot was incredible!!

Our path took us through the tiny village of Banks.

 

 ...but not for long... here's another crazy tree...

It seems to have swallowed up a number of people as it grew!!

We're getting close to Walton, our destination for today.  But first we're going to take another side trip to visit Lanercost Priory.

Since this post is already very photo heavy  I think I'll save the Priory until tomorrow!

 Here's just a wee glimpse of the Priory through the crumbling but very picturesque front gate :)